Chapter 285: Human Corpse

Chapter 285: Chapter 285: Human Corpse

But other than that, everything inside the mobile cabin was normal.

Seraphina Sinclair remained tense for a moment before gradually relaxing.

She raised her hand to sheathe her long knife, then paced around the cabin a couple of times. When she turned her head, she realized the cabin’s main door had closed at some point.

A thought struck her, and she quickly strode over to pull the door open.

As expected, the scene behind the door was completely different from before. The extending wooden board and the churning black fog were gone. All that remained was a wooden board on the ground, so narrow only one person could pass, flanked on both ends by a darkness so thick you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face.

This must be the passage to the next cabin.

Seraphina Sinclair remembered the prompt had stated clearly that she could explore three areas for free.

After a glance back to confirm there were no other supplies worth taking in this cabin, Seraphina Sinclair stepped into the darkness.

The wooden board under her feet let out a faint creak, a sound that was infinitely amplified in the absolute silence.

She was flanked by endless darkness, so dense it seemed to swallow light. Even the flame from a Fire Drawing Rune that Seraphina Sinclair tore open could only illuminate less than a meter around her, and the edges of the light were quickly blurred by the gloom.

The passage wasn’t long. After about a dozen steps, a faint light appeared ahead, along with the outlines of several doors.

Before Seraphina Sinclair were three doors in total: two wooden doors and one large Bronze Gate.

This required the survivor to make a choice.

These were all clearly doors to mobile cabins, and based on the upgrade progression...

The supplies behind the Bronze Gate should be significantly better than those behind the wooden doors. By the same token, the corresponding monster might also be much stronger, though Seraphina Sinclair had yet to encounter one.

She walked up to the Bronze Gate and stopped, not pushing it open immediately.

Knowing she was about to collect the belongings of a fellow human made Seraphina Sinclair’s feelings much more complicated.

But with supplies on the line, there was no reason to refuse them. Besides, the dangers of this godforsaken place were written into its Description. It was only natural to be rewarded for one’s efforts.

That flicker of emotion quickly vanished. She tilted her head slightly, listening. It was dead silent behind the door.

Lucky poked half its head out from her arms, its nostrils flaring as if sniffing for something. It then quickly retreated without any particular reaction.

’Is there no scent of danger, or... is the danger being completely shielded?’ Seraphina Sinclair mused.

She reached out and gently placed her hand on the door. It was ice-cold and solid to the touch.

She applied a bit of force.

CREAK—

The door opened.

This time, Seraphina Sinclair saw the process of time stopping and then flowing again with absolute clarity!

The moment the door swung on its hinges and a crack appeared, everything inside...

The overturned furniture, the scratch marks on the walls, even the dust suspended in the air—it was all in a state of absolute stillness, like a specimen frozen in amber.

But as the gap widened and light poured in...

With a soft CLICK, as if some invisible shackle had been broken, the river of time came rushing into this stagnant space.

Dust began to fall. Next to an overturned wooden table, a wooden bowl that had been suspended in mid-air fell to the ground with a sharp, piercing CRACK.

And in the center of the room, a monster that had been crouched over a human corpse, feeding, regained its ability to move. It was as if it were waking from a long dream, its eyes still holding a trace of confusion.

Although the scene was rather gruesome, Seraphina Sinclair immediately realized this was an opportunity.

A perfect opportunity to attack the monster!

In the instant before the Bronze Gate behind her could swing shut, Seraphina Sinclair moved.

She didn’t charge the monster directly. Instead, she dodged to the side, clearing the path of the closing door. With a flick of her wrist, she instantly tore open a Purifying Flame Rune—not for light, but to hurl it violently toward the far corner of the room!

The orange-red flame cut a brief arc of light through the dim room, drawing the gaze of the newly awakened and still somewhat dazed monster.

It was a creature that resembled a wolfhound but was larger, its body covered in jagged Bone Spikes. A low growl rumbled in its throat as it shook its head, which was stained with dark red filth. It seemed to hesitate between its instincts and the sudden burst of fire.

In that brief instant!

Seraphina Sinclair had already stuffed Lucky, who was in her arms, behind a relatively safe, overturned wooden cabinet. Her long knife slid from its sheath without a sound.

Her figure was like a phantom. Using the shadows and blind spots created by the toppled furniture, she lowered her stance and circled with incredible speed to the monster’s rear flank.

The monster finally tore its attention away from the burning rune’s flame. Seemingly sensing the true threat was behind it, it spun around abruptly. Just as its great, fang-filled mouth opened...

A flash of brilliant steel had already arrived, slashing diagonally in complete silence!

Seraphina Sinclair didn’t try to hack at its seemingly tough skull or Bone Spikes. Instead, she aimed for the relatively vulnerable side of its neck, which connected its head to its body. The Bone Spikes were sparse there, and the fur seemed a bit thinner.

SCHLICK!

The Blade sliced precisely into flesh and muscle, making a dull, tearing sound.

The monster let out a furious howl of pain, its massive body stumbling to one side from the force of the blow.

But the creature’s life force seemed exceptionally vigorous. The blow, delivered with all of Seraphina Sinclair’s Strength, apparently did little to no real damage, but it was incredibly insulting.

It was like a person getting slapped across the face—not very harmful, but extremely humiliating!

Seraphina Sinclair also realized something. This thing... it was definitely a D-level monster, no doubt about it.

She finally understood how the monsters appeared!

Her peripheral vision caught the gruesome human corpse on the floor, and Seraphina Sinclair silently recited in her mind:

’Sorry about this. I’ll be borrowing your turf for a bit.’

As the thought flashed through her mind, Seraphina Sinclair had already used the recoil to slide back two steps, dodging the monster’s thick, Bone Spike-covered tail as it swept around madly in pain.

Wood splinters flew as it smashed a shallow crater into the floor.

This monster’s defense and Strength even surpassed the previous D-level monster’s.

That last strike would have left an ordinary E-level monster dead or, at the very least, grievously injured and mostly immobile. But this Bone Spike wolfhound only had a deep gash on its neck. Blood poured out, yet this only seemed to heighten its ferocity.

A bad premonition flashed through Seraphina Sinclair’s mind. She raised her eyes and used Insight. The moment the result appeared, she gave a resigned smile.

D+.

’Just as I thought.’

The monster’s crimson eyes locked onto Seraphina Sinclair. It lowered its body, the growl in its throat becoming more menacing, and the muscles in its hind legs tensed, clearly preparing to pounce.

Instead of retreating, Seraphina Sinclair advanced. The moment the monster lunged, she pushed off with her feet and rolled low and to the side, narrowly avoiding the gaping maw that could have bitten a person in two.

The instant she came up from the roll, she waved her left hand, tearing open and flinging out two more runes!

This time, they weren’t E-level Purifying Flame Runes, but D-level Talismans powerful enough to blast a D-level monster to smithereens!

Since the monster was such a high grade, there was no need for her to hold back.

BOOM! BOOM!

Crimson flames, carrying a staggering heatwave, lunged precisely at the monster like two roaring fire dragons!